Bill doesn’t adequately protect productive farmland – B+LNZ
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
OPINION: The Hound hears John Murphy, chair of Veg NZ, reckons greenhouse vege producers face severe challenges due to changes in the ETS.
Murphy warns, "You'll see a $10 cucumber in no time".
Greenhouse growers will be affected by changes to industrial allocation, where government gives free emission units to businesses, keeping them competitive against countries who aren't facing crippling ETS costs.
There will be fewer free permits than before; some growers will pay an extra $200k this year, which VNZ warns could force them out of business.
Those locked into gas contracts who cannot switch to alternatives will be hit with higher ETS fees for using that gas.
As Murph rightly says, "it's a triumph of bureaucracy".
A US-based company developing a vaccine to reduce methane emissions in cattle has received another capital injection from New Zealand’s agriculture sector.
Wools of New Zealand has signed a partnership agreement with a leading Chinese manufacturer as the company looks to further grow demand in China and globally.
Opportunities for Māori are there for the taking if they scale up their operations and work more closely together.
OPINION: Farmer shareholders of two of New Zealand's largest co-operatives have an important decision to make this month and what they decide could change the landscape of the dairy and meat sectors in New Zealand.
As the first of a new series of interprofessional rural training hubs opened in South Taranaki late September, Rural Health Network has celebrated the move as a "key pathway to encourage the growth and retention of health professionals in rural areas".
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